Review and investigate the following wiki
http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/About+This+Wiki
This wiki was created for school library media specialists by Dr. Donna Baumbach and Dr. Judy Lee, University of Central Florida. The purpose is to provide information about some of the new web-based tools (Web 2.0) and how they can be used and are being used by school library media specialists and their students and teachers.
Direct your comments to two areas:
1) Did the information on this wiki help you learn about Web 2.o?
2) After investigating the link under "And More," titled : 100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Type of Learner,
Give one example of how you might be able to use one of the Web 2.o tools in your teaching.
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19 comments:
Greetings,
Oddly enough, I didn't find a definition of "web 2.0" on the site.
The definition that I have heard, is related to allowing users to create content and collaborate.
For example, I think the user comments for books on amazon.com are an example. Wikis are an example,where any user can add their knowledge to the wiki by creating new pages or adding to existing pages. Social networking sites like myspace are almost completely user-created content.
One use of the technology that I am strongly considering is a class blog. That is, for each of my classes blogging on what is being covered each day and the assignments. Thus, a student who misses class can have some idea of what went on in class and what homework is expected.
-Jay
I was able to find a quai-deifinition of Web 2.0, but once I clicked off and went somewhere else, I couldn't remember how to get back there. But the gist of it was that Web 2.0 is just a new version of the web itself and the meanings of how we thought of web tools have changed. The article had a list of what things were called in the old version of the web and what they are now. For example, Britannica online would now be wikipedia.
It would have been nice to have a straight definition right there on the home page. I found the site slow and confusing to navigate, not as well organized as it should be.
After looking at a lot of the tools and that 100 list, there is something in just about every category that would be nice to use. But the problem is resources. If you are in a district or school like OPS, then you might be able to show the kids something if you're one of the lucky teachers who has a projector hooked up to your computer, but that would be about it. Plus the OPS Network blocks a ton of stuff on the internet. And lastly you can't assume that your kids will be able to have access to a computer outside of school or even in school. I know most schools have some in the library and a lab or two, but what if they are in use during the day for class. Then what?
A lot these technologies and web tools would be great, but realistically we need to further everyones education, not just those that have the resources.
I too had a difficult time finding a definition of what it really meant. I read that it's a trend for technology and web design that aims to facilitate creativity and allow for information sharing.
This could maybe take form in such things as blogs, inspiration and sites that offer social networking.
Going along with that Bryan said, Millard also blocks many sites such as Google images that could enhance the web 2.0 function. I realize that many students would probably look up inappropriate things and not use strictly for academic purposes.
I have worked with a teacher at Millard South that is contemplating starting a class blog, and I feel it to be very useful. Students that wouldn't otherwise speak up in class can share their ideas and respond to what other students have to say.
They can get homework help from each other, as well as discuss what was talked about in class on their own time. It might also help the students get to know each other and form relationships outside the classroom.
I think that these different resources are great ways to further education, especially in Journalism. They can use programs along with photography such as Photoshop to enhance their work. I see this as a valuable teaching tool.
There is definitely a lot of information on this wiki! The information was pretty easily accessible, however it was very time consuming to investigate. I am sure that I only scratched the surface in the time I spent on this activity.
I see quite a few tools that I could apply to my content area. I can use a blog to provide student online access to assignments, enrichment activities, etc. I liked some of the visual search engines like SearchMe. The resources on the videos and PodCasts could easily be incorporated into lessons. A note taking / collaboration tool such as GoogleNotes could be used by lab groups to collaborate on processing data and lab writeups.
While there are lots of potential applications, one of the main limitations is student access to computers. While there are quite a few students in my school who have easy access to a computer at home, many students do not. So the application of this technology has to be tempered somewhat to make sure no student is excluded from part of the learning experience.
I enjoyed looking at this wiki. There is so much information about technology tools. I could spend a lot of time just looking around to see all the different things that the wiki has to offer. There is so much more than I ever thought. It's amazing to see how much there is offer for our students learning.
One of the technology examples I would like to to is set up a social networking site for my students. I believe they would have a lot of fun with it. Most of my students do not even have a computer at home so they are always wanting to get on our classroom computers or go to the computer lab. I think it would be awesome to create lessons to put on the computer where the students would have to connect and use one another to finish the assignment. I've heard of other teachings doing something similar and I think it would be so much fun for student especially when they do not get a lot of face time with technology.
Web 2.0 seems to be more of a means to do things than a definition. It includes the many facets of our current internet communication. I liked the article get your feet wet in the web 2.0 waters. We are blogging now so our toes are wet. What I want to do is create a podcast for my students this spring to help out those audio learners. This web site shows the fundamental flaws in us as teachers. It is going to take time and work. There was way too much information to effectively browse in one day. The stuff I looked at was somewhat helpful including a video under the Why Web Tools 2.0. Its by Steve Hargadon. To summarize, our world is going to be more global and we need to interact our classrooms that way. Teach our students to compete with them selves and others fairly, collaborate in larger groups to get work done more efficiently and cooperate in those groups to carry an equal load. We can’t start at the beginning of this trend anymore so we need to jump in and use what we learn from here on out.
I could not find the definition of web 2.0. I know that it has to do with technology and web design.
There was a lot of information on this wiki but it was time consuming and hard to navagate. I found that I spent more time trying to find the information than actually learning the information.
One thing that I would like to do for my students is to create a virtual field trip site. I think this would be a great way for my students to be able to sit in on board meetings, ad cram secessions, sales meetings ect. This would be a great way for my students to get the experience without having to get permission to go on field trips.
Another thing that I think would be great is a class homework blog. This would be a place that my students could post questions and help each other with homework related questions.
The thing I learned most from the wiki about Web 2.0 is that it is very versatile. It has so many different aspects, it can pretty much do anything you need it to. Hence there are over 100 different ways to use the tool.
The best tool I found on the "100 Helpful" page was the Flashcards tool under Interaction. It says you can make your own flashcards using text and tools. I think that's a fantastic idea for physics, because physics isn't just about the words but it's about formals and pictures and actions. Some students can see concepts in words, some in equations, and some in pictures. The flashcards tool would be able to be used by all of those different students. Flashcards help students correlate things for tests and labs. There were many other ideas on that website that would be good tools for physics learners.
I found the website to be kind of vague and hard to navigate. From viewing the website it just seems like a place where people can collaborate and share information.
I thought that the text readers would be a cool idea to use to teach kids how to read math textbooks. I also like google video because kids love to watch videos. Videos are a different type of learning and kids sometimes shut off when boring topics come up, but videos can make boring topics seem more fun and real. They tend to pay attention more.
At first when I looked at this website, I was just overwhelmed with it. There isn’t really a definition for web 2.0 so I Googled it to find out more. From what I can tell, web 2.0 is not hardware or software it is an idea or a concept of the web and its resources. The website is not set up very well for those who don’t really know what it is about. You have to know about web 2.0 or have had someone direct you to the website and tell you about it. I would have passed the site up if I just happened to come upon it because it is so overwhelming. I did look into a few of the links and found a particular program that I really liked called Dabbleboard http://www.dabbleboard.com/main. You can use this for doing diagrams and graphic organizers for example, and for those of us in classrooms that do not have interactive whiteboards this can be a substitute. It lets you draw on top of pictures, share them via e-mail, and even make them public and give people the link to the drawing. This way everyone has access to the information. This is helpful for activities like brainstorming sessions because you can do it as a group and then everyone has the exact same information when you are all done. The best part is that it is free. Here is an example I did: http://www.dabbleboard.com/?b=zabeth1&i=0&c=5546a3f757dcc50a1da9019ec2512202dd31eda0
I will comment of the problem of access. We can still use this type of tech even when some students have limited technology access. While I don’t think we should do things that will handicap less fortunate kids, I don’t think we should punish those who do have the tech. We have all agreed that we need to start incorporating tech, so let’s do it and make it the norm. We have to find ways to integrate these educational tools without making it a requirement or to make sure that all students have enough access to a computer, for instance during class time, before or after school, or during a study hall. We just have to be careful how and when we use these internet-based technologies, but we don’t have to leave them behind totally.
I'll mirror a number of comments already made and that the definition for Web2.0 is lacking. True, it is not software or hardware it is a combination of "new" tools released with "Web 2.0..
Interestlingly, when I went to make a comment (earlier this am at Bellevue H.S.) I found that BHS simply blocks ALL access to "social networking" sites. So ANY blog is blocked and has called to my attention how difficult setting up a Wiki or Blog for a class without going through the IT policing organization.
From a larger perspective, we have Web 2.0 and all of the accompanying tools because we are moving the "compute model" to a mobile platform (Google's Android?) these tools will allow us to shed much of what we currently know in using technology.
I don't think the website answered my question as to what Web 2.0 is, but I none the less found the website useful. It was interesting just to explore and find out what is available to use. There were things I had never heard of and there were things I had heard of but weren’t sure what exactly they were. This site answered a lot of questions.
For me the hardest part of this assignment was to visit a wiki. In my undergraduate and graduate experience, my professors drilled into my head that wikis were bad. You can never be sure of the information you are getting from them and we were therefore banned from using them. So there was a mental road block for me to overcome when looking at this site.
One tool that I loved and think I will play around with for use in my classroom in Flash Card Machine. It is strongly encouraged that students make flash cards to study their vocabulary, so why not use technology to create those cards.
i didn't find a definition of web 2.0 anywhere on the site and had i not known what it was beforehand, i would have likely been extremely confused. Those who are inexperienced with technology (an that usually includes me) need things to explained clearly to them and even perhaps shown to them when possible and this website was not very helpful in catering to those individuals, which is one the problems with the newer web designs. All the interaction and information sharing can be helpful but only if you know already how to get involved in the online community. for the people without experience with wikipedia, delicious, myspace, blogger, etc., coming across these sites it probably confusing and misleading. people may not understand that they are peer-created. so although i thought the website was neat enough, it would be better if it was clear and offered an explanation for the inexperienced browser. otherwise, my only comment would be basically the same comment i make every week: yeah, those technologies listed sure sound nice. the don't have much technology in my school and have even less in others. so until funding is more equitable, it's wishful thinking.
The site did not have a definition of Web 2.0, but it's aim is not to provide a definition, as there really isn't a definitive definition of Web 2.0. On the left of the website, there is a series of links that provide all sorts of information on different Web 2.0 resources. Within these links, it tells you how to use the resource creatively. Some links even have video on how to use the resources. I think this website was pretty informative on how to use Web 2.0.
For one of my classes, I could use Project Draw. This is a program that lets students create diagrams and graphs. This would be great for when we are looking at financial statements or yearly reports. Instead of looking at text of numbers, this program can be used for students that learn better visually.
Web 2.0 has its values! I say this with the assumption that one has the immense amount of time needed to explore the many possibilities. Items I did find useful were the, "Vision of K-12 Students Today" video from Teacher Tube, which was on the “Why Webtools” link
http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Why+WebTools%3F+(Web+2.0).
I also found the videos explaining concepts that were done by the “… in Plain English” group like this one explaining Wikis.
http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Wikis
Although I think we all agree the flashcard maker was a great idea I feel the need to be a non-conformist. One of the concepts from the “100 useful tools” list I thought could be useful, especially in this age of diverse languages, would the text to speech tools. Recently, I used the Adobe version of this tool. Admittedly I was being lazy, but I found it appealing to break up the monotony of reading page after page of text. This is definitely something to be used in any help labs where computer access is available or for those students that are more prone to learn from spoken lecture verses reading assignments.
After reviewing this wiki, I feel that it is a great tool for educators to incorporate technology to relate to students, through various visual, aural, and kinestetic means.
It was great to see other audio tools that I can use in my classroom on the "hundred list".
Jamglue will allow me to mix and edit audio clips. Audacity will allow me to be able to record and edit in various formats. Wave Surfer will allow me to visualize and manipulate sounds. Looplab will allow me to create and manipulate short loops. Lame will allow me to encode and manipulate on to MP3's
All of these audio tools can be taught to my students as well, while teaching composing and recording music.
With the accessibility and emergence of technology these days, there is no reason why classrooms focused on music instruction should not be on the cutting edge.
Incorporating technology helps students to stay progressive in society and on the cutting edge.
Incoporating ideas from Web 2.0 will also keep the teacher's lesson plans fresh with new ideas for relate to students.
yes! librarians are awesome! the info helped me understand 2.0 better. more than just what the definition is, but what the magnitude is. hard to believe there are so many mash-ups, web apps, social networking sites, etc.. it was helpful to explore this wiki after reading the comments of the rest of the class first. i too enjoyed the teacher tube video. getting back to fundamentals, though, as i like to do, it boils down to engaging the students, which to me is not dependent on technology, but i am also coming to the conclusing that technology is quite a bit more than mere frosting in all of this.
as for possible applications with my students, a few items come to mind. a teacher had recommended quia and i found myself there last weekend, researching a micro teaching experience. unfortunately at 1am saturday their server was down, but i will be back. tonight i found twitter to be interesting from the point of view of conversation. the introductory video has some insights into the nature of quotidian (sp) communication, and a bonus is you can have subtitles in a plethora of languages. i would have to explore it a bit more, because i am not really familiar with it, but the idea is neat. i also like a site developed by rosetta stone called sharedtalk.com. it’s got a variety of ways to connec/chat with language learners around the world in real time.. i have done that, and it’s really fun and engaging. the flash card machine looks interesting too. i love delicious also but i can never remember my password when i want to use it. better than having scraps of paper with websites’ URLs on them, like i normally do. finally, if i ever have the chance (given it doesn’t appear directly related to my content area) i would use the speech website, to play archival soundtrack sof real speeches from history. that woudld be a cool addition for all learners to a lesson building historical context or getting students to think about issues before a debate.
any advice for keeping track of passwords?
No definition was clearly layed out on the wiki. From my observation Web 2.0 is just a new way of looking at the internet. The 100 tools available that reach different learning styles was useful. One that I would like to use in the classroom is google video. I was just surfing on there the other day and found a helpful video about advanced verb conjugations that was informative, yet very entertaining. I think my students would enjoy it.
Very time consuming but worth the search. The Wiki information is quite interesting and I could see how this type of information even the process of the search can be incorporated in classroom instruction. Prior to reading this article I had no idea of a Web 2.0.
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