Oct 19, 2009
Web 2.0, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 again!
Has the term gotten familiar to you yet? Web 2.0 describes the way this generation behaves. Web 2.0 is people creating content socially and intuitively. Creators and consumers meet in online communities where content creation and feedback occur. Consumers become active participants, and the roles of consumers and creators overlap. Traditional publishers are no longer the sole distributors of content, and readers are no longer exclusively consumers. Rather, authors and readers engage in an active relationship.
This change has been transformative of our society and the creative process. The classroom is no longer the sole learning environment. It is not another superficial revelation. For 30 years the research has supported project based constructivist classrooms. Web 2.0 technology embodies this philosophy. Leveraging this technology for learning gives us the tools to act.
The research is now “active” – done by our clients – our kids, students, children, pupils, etc. To create content collaboratively and to distribute their work sets the stage for authentic and relevant reflection and revision. In the article lets_talk_2.0 the authors talk to us about the current tools students are using and that they are moving ahead as they write creatively and share that work with others. They continue to tell us that this activity is occurring whether it is integrated into our classrooms or not. Our students are writers and publishers and they are experiencing success and loving it. We should embrace what they know to enhance what we want them to practice.
Writing globally will also increase their confidence as collaborators and broaden their experiences so they can tackle the data that says our students will have 15 different careers before they retire. School will be long gone and collaborative and social networking environments will provide them with the growth they need to succeed. Access is not widespread which makes it increasingly more critical that schools provide the structure for students to work within. If we want all of our students to compete on a level playing field, no matter what the vocation, we can work alongside the business model discussed in this article and parallel the current environment our students live in by leveraging technology for learning.
This article was written collaboratively using Google Docs (allowed us to share and edit the document at the same time, live) with my 28 year old son, architect, working in Boston.
Looking at the article “A Day in the Life” was a good example of what can be done if everyone is working together and shares a common goal. To me this is a great reality to strive for, but practically unrealistic. Factors such as time and discipline become all too real hindrances in this case. While speaking from the mathematics curriculum it is packed tight within the contents of the school year. Many of the topics tend to be geared towards a testing atmosphere, but would more readily be learned through hands on, discussion based discovery learning. As is shown in the article collaboration and flexibility made the learning environment not only more enriching for the students, but more engaging as well as students wanted to succeed and do the best they could.
Looking at situations like this one can easily wonder are all students learning the material and if not, is there the time to help them? The other aspect that can be looked at is students may learn the concept and be able to relate the information, but now put a very concrete test in front of them and will the same connections be made to indicate mastery of a topic? Looking at a situation like this would be a model, but thinking within time constraints that often exist much would have to be adapted to work in a particular individual’s classroom to work with their teaching style.
How are we ever going to use this in real life? Some students ask that question to waste time others are genuine in their questioning. Using Web 2.0 tools we would have a plethora of information accessible to all students to answer such questions in the classroom.
Math is a subject that builds upon previous knowledge, using tools such as wikis and blogs my students would be able to refer to previous knowledge learned. Using podcasts and programming languages online allow students to be creative in displaying what they have learned in the classroom. Its hard to think of not using a state exam as a form of assessment for our math students, however I am starting to believe in the future as a collaborative world between the classroom and the workforce. How are we exactly training our students for the workforce without using technology? Our students get discouraged in math often because of inability to understand why they learn such topics. With this I agree to use the tools offered by Web 2.0, and it is essential that this available to everyone.
As an educator I feel that I have my work cut out for me. I feel it is also important for me to include technology as much as I can throughout my lessons because I teach young students. I know that in a few years what they learned with me will be “old” or obsolete but never less I need to teach them what I can while they are with me and get them even more prepared for the older grades. It blows my mind that we have to prepare our kids for jobs that aren’t even created yet. I know I want my students to be successful and up to date with new technology and software. In order to do that I myself need to stay current and involved with technology for my students. This will allow a more open way of communication among students and teachers. Students need to learn how to work with other students. We need to have a wonderful classroom community involved with technology and collaboration and it has to start with me.
So give me specific examples of what you are going to do next week if you agree so wholeheartedly with this
As a substitute teacher in my district, I am in and out of many different classrooms. The interesting idea behind this is that I get a glimpse into the various activities that are taking place in each classroom. A common trend that I have noticed is that the students are really excited about using technology whenever they are given the opportunity. In my own classroom I plan to incorporate technology not just for the sake of incorporating it, but rather to create authentic learning experiences for my students. In my classroom I plan to develop projects and activities that strive away from the teacher being the sole audience. When students know that they are writing for the purpose of sharing they tend to take more pride in their work. In my classroom, I would like to incorporate blogs as a space where students can share and discuss the reading material for class. This steps away from the traditional journal entries where the relation of response is between teacher and student. I want to create an online environment where students are actively engaged as they answer each others questions, as well as, comment on each others responses. Another tool that I also hope to incorporate into my classroom is Jing. When I was first introduced to Jing I really had no idea how simple it is to actually create a screencast. As I worked with this tool it made me realize that it could be used by the teacher as well as the students in so many different ways. For example, in a math class the students can capture their screen as they use an interactive whiteboard that allows them to draw out and explain their solution to a problem. In turn the teacher can use this tool to capture sample questions the students can use to help them study for tests or quizzes. In one of my other classes in this program I was also introduced to voice threads. In my classroom, I hope to incorporate this site as a way for students to present projects/activities. What I really like about this site is that the students can include questions that their classmates can respond to directly through a variety of methods such as voice comments, doodles, etc. Overall, there are just so many sites and tools that I really cannot wait to be able to use in my classroom when I get the chance. I strongly feel that students need to see a clear purpose for what they are doing in the classroom. The use of technology in conjunction with a meaningful task, will open up the opportunity for students to take pride in their work as they actively explore and share their new understandings, suggestions, or ideas.
I guess it is difficult to implement anything since you are a sub. It looks like you want to do so much but I would be curious to see what you can do when you are ready.
One point that struck a chord with me was the fact that our students will have 15 different careers in their lifetimes. I have changed careers a few times already, but I don’t foresee myself changing 15 times in my lifetime! This point in itself should be enough to convince people that we need to teach students to collaborate through online means. The odds of them learning a skill and sticking with a job that requires that skill alone is next to none. If we don’t teach students how to communicate and collaborate online, we are doing them a disservice.
I have just started using a wiki in class, and so far my students have really taken to the idea. I have already had students tell me that they are more likely to do their homework if it is online, and involves communication with other classmates. This is really a win-win situation! I also shared a few of the capabilities of Google (iGoogle, gmail, reader,docs etc.) with my students, and urged them to start a google account so they could take advantage of the free tools. 95% of my students had no idea that this even existed! I was shocked, but am excited to start a collaborative assignment using Google Docs, so that they can see just how useful it is. Someone has to teach them this…
So, why aren’t more teachers utilizing technology in this way? I’m sure there are several different reasons….but I know I will be advocating for it because I firmly believe it helps our students develop skills necessary for their success in the future.
I wonder how many of our students don’t know about these tools. I think it is assumed that they know everything but they know about online gaming and collaborative sites for posting their work. But they aren’t versed in the actual applications. There is a place for it. How about setting up a wiki in your school as a professional learning community with your principal. Just a thought to get administrators to buy in.
Interesting stuff. The Lets Talk 2.0 article had a lot of interesting activities. I think a blog for my Social Studies class would be an interesting way to approach current events. Another way I could use this type of application would be a fan-fiction type site in collaboration with an ELA teacher. One of my favorite genres of novel are “What If?” stories in which one event in history changes – thus changing the course of history (remember that Jim Belushi movie “Mr. Destiny”?). There is an author – Harry Turtledove – who specializes in stories like this. So, right now we’re studying the Civil War – I could ask the students to respond to – “What if Lee chose to stay in the US Army and not fight for the South? – or “What would have happened if the South won the war?”. Students could use their imagination to tell what might have been, and then build on the ideas of their classmates.
I think Web 2.0 has a lot of potential and I will be setting up a blog using the site listed in the Lets Talk 2.0 article. I will let you know how it works out.
Great ideas – so are you going to do it? Keep me posted. Saying is one thing doing is the real judge of how it is valued!
Yes, I am. I am currently bouncing around what I will blog about, but I went and set up a blog page at blogger.com. I have to get it unblocked so that students can access it at school as well as at home. Mark
Web. 2.0 is a great way to get students involved in twenty first century skills. More so now than ever, it is our jobs at educators to prepare students for the world in which they live. Blogging is def. an asset I could use in my classroom. I am actually in the process of creating a Moodle for my class. The Moodle takes traditional communication and writing skills and elaborates on it…. makes it twenty first century skills. After seeing its use within this class, and seeing a presentation by one of my colleagues. .I am very excited about starting it in class. I am going to use it to foster a collaborative learning environment. Not only will my students be reviewing and going over Social Studies curriculum, they will be using twenty first technology… communicating and distributing their ideas with each other. This is a skill that they can take with them outside of the classroom. I also think Web 2.0 use in the classroom is essential for preparing our students for the world outside. I find that students tend to go into “text talk” as soon as technology is put in front of them. In the school environment we can teach them to use Web 2.0 “professionally”… we can get them ready to use these skills appropriately both in and out of school .
I am really overwhelmed by this web 2.0 stuff. I don’t even know what a lot of these things are, and I am getting my masters in instructional technology! It is very intimidating to try to keep up with all the latest and greatest. I am familiar with many of these web 2.0 applications (blogs, collaborative files, RSS) but I can’t say that I am really using them either personally or professionally- besides writing here of course. My goal for this semester is to find a professional who uses math in their field and facilitate a way for my students to communicate with him/her. I think that this is something that is practical given the technology in my school and also won’t take too much time away from the topics I need to cover before my assessment in May. Since the state changed our curriculum/assessment this year I am more panicked than ever with time. So, if anyone has a great idea of where I can find a professional to communicate with my students, please let me know! Thanks!
Web/Literacy 2.0 is difficult to define. It is more of a mind set than anything concrete. It is the use of technological tools, old and new, in new and evolving ways. It is the integration of contemporary academic theories such as multiple intelligences, Bloom, differentiated instruction, and project based learning with each other and with educational technology. It is moving past the desktop computer, past the drill and kill software, past the “Gee, my kids are word processing. We’re using technology,” attitude. It is a fearful challenge to most of my generation of teachers who are stuck in the past. It is a wonderful challenge for teachers, administrators, and students, who are willing to, if not embrace, then at least try, new concepts. It is taking the traditional roles of teacher and student and changing them respectively to guide and explorer.
It is walking for some, running for others, and plunging for a few more, into the newer technologies. It is using a blog or wiki to communicate with and between students, allowing students to share ideas. It allows for different ways for students to learn, working with their learning styles. It helps teachers teach and guide working with their styles. It allows for differentiated instruction by taking the students past the text book. A student might read several on-line articles, listen to a podcast, email a resource, or view a video, all part of the learning process. The student might demonstrate knowledge by creating a video, his or her own podcast, dictating a paper into a word processor, or designing and building a web site.
Web/Literacy 2.0 requires teacher training, administrative and parental support, and students who are capable of understanding that the freedoms granted by this type of educational practice are not to be abused. Having permission to work on the internet is not a license to surf the internet. Having permission to work quietly in small groups is not permission to roam around the classroom. Having permission to move around the classroom from workstation to workstation does not mean hitting the other students on the back of the head. Having access to a technology does not grant permission to abuse the technology. It requires patience on the part of all participants.
It is a wonderful thing. One of these days, my district will allow us to fully embrace it, providing access to among other things, blogs, wikis, and, dare I even hope, YouTube. Until then….
I agree with Mindy all the technology out there is overwhelming. Web 2.0 has many applications and it is true that many students are actively creating outside of school! Learning is taking place not just in the classroom. In kindergarten it is hard to say how I would use all of these technologies like blogging etc. I feel they just need to be modified. My goal like I said last week is to go to the Smart Board room twice a month. I really want to use Tikatok which is online free digital story telling designed for young children. I will probably wait until the spring when my students are ready to create and are more capable with their writing skills. I am interested in screencasting number stories with my children, but again this will be later in the year. We as educators have our job cut out for us!
I like that the 15 year old spends hours of time focused on his passion…and I think that we should make use of anything that will keep students focused to benefit their education. I mean, really, if you don’t have their attention your work is all for naught. I will be shifting from my AIS position into a 5th grade classroom position next month and I am SOOO looking forward to having a class that I can use what tech skills I do have! Last week you asked how I’d put things into practice. Here’s how: I am contacting Mrs. Kreeger so she can come in and work with all of us on the moodle. My goal is for the students to run it, and I’ll just oversee things and post pertinent info for families. I already have it set up so I can blog with my reading groups, and we will begin that this week. I am hoping that the students will really connect with each other and have meaningful conversations about the text. To encourage that I am posing open ended questions and I’m letting them know that they need to respond to a peer/me. I really want to use as much technology as I can and I’m glad that I will have a classroom to do it in.
There is a new course this year in my building that is based on Earth Science but it is on a non-regents track. It is meant to be a project based course. The first project was a mandated research article of the students’ choice. Many students did not complete this project. The next few projects are at the teachers descretion. So,next week, I am going to have the students work in pairs to research a specific planet and create a Photostory based on their research. I am hoping that this will energize and inspire all students, but especially those that are very unmotivated. The fact that this is a non-regents course gives me the breathing room to spend some time on this and future projects without the pressure to have the students produce the required amount of satisfactory labs. I mentioned the idea to some of the other teachers who seemed excited about the idea. It seems that they are going to see how it goes for me before they give it a shot.
I beleive in the constructivist approach to learning and in using technology to achieve those goals. Web 2.0 certainly allows for students to construct their own knowledge. I am hoping that this really makes a difference.
Ken Hall
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 and literacy are both rooted in a more interactive environment. This is seen in its three functions or participation, collaboration and distribution. Through the use of online sources these three principles can be achieved with relative ease. The uses of such sources give users the chance to express themselves in ways not possible. Especially in literacy the idea of taking an existing work and “remixing” it to a personalized work is a common practice. Many worry about copyright infringement in taking other works and changing them or expanding on the ideas, but many times companies do not attack these creators. This is mostly due to the increased exposure of their work and it is in a way free advertisement. This idea is great because not only is it an enjoyable hobby for some, but lends itself to creative storytelling as fanfiction promotes reading of work then the creation of new storylines with the existing characters or logic problem solving as a Modder takes a game and creates additional coding to make the game what they really want. These works can be shared a number of ways motivating the creators to create because they can be “published” for the world to see when this would never have been a reality. Many students are really into comics or video games so to use this, students would create a fanfic using a comic or show story and create a story that incorporates those characters and a historical event or person.
Web 2.0 is a business model promoting working together and using technology to promote and distribute ideas. If school is to prepare students for the future then using the models of business will allow students to stay current and then be the ones to be innovative as they are in the now and not playing catch up.
Re: Web 2.o… In the time that I have spent working towards my masters in Instructional Technology, my perspective of the use of technology in the classroom has changed as well as my perspective of how we should teach children. Actually, that is really what the point is… not so much the use of technology, but the way we teach or allow our students to learn. We can use technology in a “sage on the stage” way… and that would really go against what the web 2.0 article is advocating. It is about allowing our students choices and independence to explore, and experience what they are learning. It is about giving them opportunities to communicate and collaborate to discover and apply the concepts on their own. It is about creating motivation and a love of learning and sharing knowledge, and using that knowledge for a purpose. Technology happens to be an excellent tool to do all of these things… but only if it is used for these purposes. Conversely, many strategies can be used without the use of technology that promote the same idea of offering students choices and opportunities to communicate and collaborate. What am I doing to support this theory that I agree so strongly with?? I have to admit..the technology in my building is lacking. I do not have a smart board. I do have 5 computers in my classroom that I use daily in literacy and math rotations as well as to teach social studies and sciece concepts using United Streaming. My students use the computers to listen to reading to improve reading comprehension and to practice math skills. Where I am falling short.. and where I want to improve is on the collaboration end. I want to start a blog for students to discuss what they are reading and compare stories. Maybe even some sort of a book club. I want to look into moodle. I feel that I do support the general philosophy of providing students opportunities to choose their work and collaborate with others. While I meet w/ guided reading groups, the other students have 5 choices- read to self, read with someone, listen to reading, work on writing and word work. Many or the activities they can do for each are on the computer. They can choose their own books, activities, people to work with, and topics to write about. I am amazed by how much more motivated my students are to read and write since they have been given a choice, independence and the ability to collaborate and share with others.
This article really does a nice job of explaining what web 2.0 actually is. You made an excellent point that really hit home with me. You said, “we should embrace what they know to enhance what we want them to practice”. For me this sums it all up. We should be using technology to help our students move forward. If they know how to write things like short stories, letters, etc, then why can’t we bring that knowledge to a new level. Technology allows us to open new doors for our students and we need to embrace that.
People do not realize that there are three components to web 2.0: participation, collaboration, and distribution. Tools like delicious and ning allow for students to share websites that might be helpful for certain things they are working on or interested in. Jing is also a very useful tool for students to use. They can use it for a variety of things like teaching others how to do something or using it to capture a story that they have created. Voicethread is another way to take student work to a new level. This tool allows for collaboration as well.
Many educators fear the use of technology, especially student use. However, the outcome is meant to be a positive one. Tools like these are easy to use and would really enhance student learning.
Web 2.0 is a necessity for the future. Teachers need to learn how to use and embrace Web 2.0 in the classroom. Web 2.0 is new to me and the more I find out about, the more I see how it can enhance the classroom. Simply tasks like collaboration, peer reviewing, and essay writing can all be addressed with the use of Web 2.0. Having students actually take pride in their work is a problem that teachers face. Many students feel like the only person that is going to see their work is the teacher, so why should they put there all into it? If the students knew everyone on the web was going to look at it, I can guarantee that a better product would be produced.
I love the fact that Web 2.0 tools allow students to write, edit, add, delete, and combine multiple works. I was always told that two heads are better than one. With a Wikki or a blog, students can post work, and then have other students review it, fix anything that needs fixing, or add to it. Students also can comment on others products and voice opinions without the pressures from other students. This is a wonderful thing. Another thing I love about Web 2.0 tools is the freedom it grants students. Maybe essay writing is very difficult for a student and he would rather create a Voice Thread that relays the same message. Web 2.0 gives students different avenues to go down to reach the same end result.
Over all I think Web 2.0 is here and teachers have to learn to go with it instead of fight it. We as teachers need to get our students ready for the world they are going to live in, not the one we do. Web 1.0 was used solely for the retaining of information. On the other hand, Web 2.0 is used as a way for us to present the information we learned in a way that makes sense to us. Web 2.0 lets students construct knowledge in a way that is meaningful to them.
Web 2.0 I found to be very interesting. I feel if everyone who is an educator and an administrator understood what web 2.0 was all about that we could work together and incorporate it into the curriculum somehow. I would love to use some of the ideas I read about in my classroom. I used google.docs in one of my grad class which is great for collaboration on group projects. I think next time I do a collaboration project in my classroom I will have the students use some kind of online website where they can post their project and others in their groups will be able to access it and make changes to the document. A blog would be another good way to get students involved they could respond to question or posts or could voice their opinion on different subjects. All are great ideas. One thing that concerns me is that many students when they leave school do not have access to technology such as a computer so you would have to find a way to meet their needs during the school day.
While reading the article Web 2.0, the idea of Literacy 2.0 struck a chord. I was sort of taken back my student being encouraged to “take the reins”. I do not like the idea of students creating alternate assessments for their classmates. I think the idea behind this looks wonderful on paper but impossible in an actual classroom. Whatever happened to student studying hard to acquire knowledge? It has always been suggested that students must leave the classroom understanding the objective. There has been many times where I left a classroom completely not knowing what went on, went home, opened a book and studied and figured it out for myself. A lot of responsibility has been taken away from the student and the finger has been pointed at the teacher instead. I do feel that students need to be exposed to technology considering our society is based on them. I just do not want to use technology for the sake of using it. If I can teach a topic and teach it well with lecture than that is what I plan on doing.
I agree that the Web 2.0 resources are vital to a comtemporary constructivist classroom. The technology exists aside from education, and teachers have the pleasant burden of incorporating these technologies into their classroom. Students in America are falling behind their foreign counterparts in both their achievement in education and skills using technology. Many students will have jobs that don’t even exist at the present time, and we much teach them how to be dynamic and keep pace with the constantly changing technological environment.
While the technology is used to enhance a given curriculum, it is the use of this technology itself that teaches students new skills that are not specific to a given subject. For example, students in a physics class could be responding to questions in a discussion board to reinforce difficult concepts, but they are also acquiring the skills, methods, and etiquette of online communication.
I believe Web 2.0 tools are beneficial and certainly have a place in the classroom of the 21st century. I think the most motivating part of the suite of Web 2.0 tools is that students actually get an authentic audience that is genuinely interested in their work. Just like the example of the student who normally get’s B’s and C’s in school who spent hours on his anime videos: there was a real audience who were interested in what he was creating, which encouraged him to tinker and tweak his videos to make them as good as possible. This isn’t the case with a book report, as students usually just do the bare minimum (they find them meaningless and the teacher is the only one who reads it anyway so what’s the point).
With that said, there needs to be a delicate balance. In an age where state curricula is jam packed it is a challenge (maybe even impossible) to adapt every topic of every content area to a constructivist lesson either student centered in the classroom or using Web 2.0 tools. However, when appropriate activities can be designed, students will achieve a better understanding of the content.
I’m a little confused!! What exactly is Web 2.0? Is it a program that will be used or is it using technology that is more Web Based? I didn’t want to read this article because taking 3 other classes; I have way too much on my plate. However, there is a ton of stuff in here that I’m not doing, but because I see what I’m missing I’ll try and do more. I think the first step that needs to be taken is to involve the parents. If i were to do a class blog or a wiki, I would want the parents to have access to it as well. This way they can monitor or get involved with their child’s education. I have just started using voicethread.com in my class and the kids love it, but it is a tremendous amount of work for me. I think it is important for teachers to ease into Web Based technology and limit it to one or two classes per assignment; otherwise it becomes to labor intensive. I will continue to use voicethread, Ellumination, and soon blogs to help the students learn, but I’m still a little apprehensive because I feel students won’t fulfill their side of the bargain.
The notion that all of our students need the access to some sort of Web 2.0 seems a little bit unattainable presently. However, it’s absolutely going to be a part of the students jobs, education, and social lives for the foreseeable future. Stemming from this fact there is an obvious need that must be addressed and is mentioned towards the end of the article, the playing field must be leveled for students to be successful. Web 2.0 devices and tools must be made available in schools and classrooms for some students to have an interest in working with them out of the traditional school environment.
Currently I’m struggling to get administration to unblock websites to allow my classroom to incorporate them.
I thought this was an interesting article. I especially liked the distinction between multitasking and task-switching. While multitasking can increase efficiency when one of the tasks is routine, task-switching normally inhibits productivity. I think that most of the destractions in the classroom are a result of task-switching (stopping classwork to text their friend) rather than multitasking (listing to their i-pods while doing their homework). I think most of the rules are in place to stop the destractible behaviors but naturally they limit opportunities to practice and become efficient at multitasking.