I have always been a little bit of a "tech geek". Not the "I-can-hack-into-my-school-district's-payroll-department-and-give-myself-a-raise" type of techie, but I do have a love affair with gadgets and computers. Because of this, I'm trying to increase the use of technology in my classroom. This journey started with trying to teach my kids how to use software tools like Comic Life, Keynote and Pages as well as bookmarking hundreds of websites that enrich the curriculum we explore.
All of this hard work has lead to some frustration because for the most part these tech integrations were one-time affairs. Kind of like a cooking class I once attended. Sure I learned how to make a great almond-crusted salmon under the watchful eye of a Sur la Table instructor, but have I ever done it again? Nope. My kids were reading a wonderful article about how scientists have discovered a fossilized forest in the arctic permafrost, but have they ever gone back to www.sciencenewsforkids.org? Nope. My kids used Comic Life to present their thinking about weather concepts, but did they every really use Comic Life again? Nope.
What I am realizing is that just reading articles online or having a once a year crack at making a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation is just a "cooler" version of copying a Time For Kids article for students to read or assigning a poster for a visual aid. I'm now beginning to explore how to integrate Web 2.0 tools into the classroom in more sustained ways.
According to Wikipedia (which may be the largest Web 2.0 tool):
The term "Web 2.0" is commonly associated with web applications which facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Examples of...
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... this is a great place to start if the idea of Web 2.0 tools is completely new to you. The first page is very interactive and easy to use. All you need to do is drag your cursor and click when a 'pink circle' appears.
2. http://jdorman.wikispaces.com/
There are some incredible tutorials here which I found this very helpful. Scroll down to "Workshop Resources" to link to the tutorials.
3. http://edte.ch/blog/
A blog by Tom Barrett, a teacher from England, that will both inspire you and make you feel like a slacker. If you go to this site, make sure you have at least an hour to explore, because you will get sucked in quickly.
There is an amazing amount of powerful tools to explore out there on the web. I hope you are able to find the tools your students will want to use every day in your literacy workshops. You and your students will love it if you do.
If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to comment or send us a message. We’d be delighted to answer you. Please don’t forget to share this tutorial with your
The transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 ushered in major paradigms shifts in the software industry. Software evolved from being a licensed product to being a subscribed web service. Development efforts slid from the tight control of specialists, for example systems analysts and programmers, towards a collaborative project between end users and technology experts. Learners are now required to teach themselves and teachers are there to facilitate the learning process. The dissemination of knowledge and wisdom would gravitate away from the puritanical filters of rigorous scholastic scrutiny towards a mashed-up crowd sourced assembly such as Wikipedia. Personal websites would now encompass a social networki...
Byrne, R. (2009). The Effect of Web 2.0 on Teaching and Learning. Teacher Librarian , 37 (2), 50-53.
The 'Second Web. The Web. The Web. 10 January 2012.. Perry, Thomas.
...o, Regina F. and Alberto M. Bento. "Using the Web to extend and support classroom learning." College Student Journal 34.4 Dec. 2000: 603-8.
It is very hard not to realize that technology has overpowered education in many ways. “Technology integration is similar to a tidal wave, growing silently in strength, then falling with an unstoppable roar upon those who paid no attention or showed little interest” (Guhlin, 40). Nowadays, computers are almost considered a necessity in the classroom, and are the main component of technology integration. Computers are being used in more numerous ways, besides only being used for basic word processing. With a simple computer, copious availabilities of technologies can be used in the classroom. “The one thing that is so great about the computer is that it does give a lot of instruction--and you don't need to have hearing to take advantage of it” (Anderson, 12). It’s amazing how one simple screen can provide everlasting opportunity for learning.
days a week due to the fact that most companies computers are running all the
Web 2.0 is a collection of technologies that enable us to create and provide services to end users in innovative ways. It's not only about the technologies which are used but about the new ways that it enables large numbers of people to come together to collaborate, share, and build .
“The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.” Bill Gates. The Internet is vast and is just getting bigger. It has its own community that is open to the public. The Internet is becoming a platform all on its own. It is a stepping-stone in a direction that is unknown. The Internet has become so vast that there are now different versions of it. The different versions of the web are Web 1.0, Web 2.0, the main focus of this paper, and Web 3.0. Web 1.0 is all about sharing information. It is very bland and just gets the point across of what was needed. This how the Internet had started. Web 2.0 is sharing information with interaction. To me this means social media in some fashion. The website that was accessed has a way of interacting with the users whether it be through comments or giveaways on the web. Web 3.0 is the server interacting with the individual on a particular website. Amazon is the best example of Web 3.0 because it gives recommendations based on items that have been searched. “Among American adults 87% use the web, 68% connect...
The use of computers in school classrooms has evolved throughout the years, and has become revolutionary in changing the way we teach and learn. Our classrooms should no longer be confined to four walls and a few teachers who are considered to be experts in knowledge. Our classrooms need to keep up with a changing society and a new world that is dependent on technology. As students graduate, they need the technological skills needed to thrive in a world in which technology sets the pace. Society expects the school system to produce functional citizens who have the skills to gain profitable employment, and not be a drain on the system.
..., S. (2010). From VLEs to learning webs: the implications of Web 2.0 for learning and teaching. Interactive Learning Environments, 18(1), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/10494820802158983
The education world has been greatly influenced by rapidly changing technology and the increasing availability of information. Schools have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to incorporating technology into the learning environment, however, many more advances need to be made. In all areas of the country, educators are trying to help students keep up with technology, but there are more changes that are essential for preparing the next generation for the future.
Andy Carvin states “ internet access in schools isn’t worth a hill of beans if teachers aren’t prepared to take full advantage of technology” (2000). Schools spend a lot of money on computer hardware and software as well as other technologies without realizing that many of their employees are unprepared to include them in their teaching and use them to their advantages. Educators often use technology as a classroom management tool rather than an educational one, allowing computer time as a reward for good behavior (Clark & Gorski, 2001). The problem with this is that students learn to use the computer for games and such because it is their reward instead of using it on their own time for educational purposes. This is teaching them the wrong idea. Margaret Honey, director of the Center for Children and Technology in NYC said it best, “The bottom line is, you don’t just put technology into schools or into homes and expect miracles to happen. The technology is only as good as the program that surrounds it” (Meyer, 2002, p.2).
Web 2.0 is branded by open source and freeware. It is used a lot in blogs, tags, wikis, RSS.
In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the WWW, which was about 20 years after the first connection was established over what today is called the Internet. Back in 1989, Berners-Lee was a software engineer at CERN, the largest particle physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland (WWW Foundation 1). Berners-Lee had proposed a set of technologies that could make the Internet available and useful to many people. However, at first, Berners-Lee’s proposal was not accepted, but he would not go down without a fight. He persevered and by October of 1990, he had laid out the three essential technologies that are still the foundation of today’s Web: 1. HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. It is the publishing format for the Web. It has the ability to format documents and link to other documents and resources. 2. URI: Uniform Resource Identifier. It is an address that is special to each resource on the Web. 3. HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It allows for the retrieval of linked resources across the Web (1). After...