Web+2.0

The third assignment this semester was over Web 2.0 tools. The purpose of this exercise was to familiarize us with Web 2.0 tools and help us find ones that would be useful in our own classroom. There was a large variety to choose from, and since I am an English secondary education major, I looked for tools that I thought would beneficial to any future students in my English classroom. The assignment asked each us to select five different Web 2.0 tools that we could incorporate into our teaching in the future. I chose Blogger, Google Docs, Webspiration, Confusing Words, and Mapskip. We were, then, asked to detail how we would incorporate each of these tools into our teaching.

The following is my response:


 * Web 2.0 Assignment: **

There are many methods teachers can consider to create an interactive classroom environment utilizing web 2.0 tools. For a secondary education English teacher, five of these methods include Blogger, Google Docs, Webspiration, Confusing Words, and Mapskip. Using these programs would help to create an interactive web-based classroom that can be fun and informative at the same time.

 Blogger does just what the name implies. It allows normal, everyday internet users to create and manage their own blogs. It uses simple publishing tools to allow for the creation of these blogs for free and as often as a blog writer would like. The blog page, where the actual blog is displayed, can be made to be effectively owned by the blog writer through various personalization tools. Each blog page can be made different colors, use text styles, and images can even be added. All of this can be done with ease, even by those not skilled with internet programming languages.

 A tool like Blogger could be used by students to create their own blog space that they could use when writing a research paper. The blog space would allow for a student doing research to make blog posts that detail their progress in the research and writing processes. The blog could be used much like the discussion forums in the Blackboard tool used for online classes at MSCD are used. However, unlike Blackboard, a student could personalize and own their own blog so that they could make it look and feel whatever way they would like. By doing this, they would, hopefully, develop and maintain more interest in their blog, instead of doing a written journal or posts on a school owned and operated tool. Students who are more advanced at blogging and Web 2.0 tools would be able to add in things like video, pictures, and sound to their blog, giving readers a truly immersive look at their writing and research process. Students that re more unfamiliar with blogging and Blogger tools could become more knowledgeable with a growing and important tool for communication and would ideally have fun in the process.

 Google Docs is a tool set by Google that functions like the Microsoft Office programs. The only difference is that they are online and that they are free to use. All of the same programs are offered, including a word processor, a spreadsheet program, and a slideshow presentation program. Because the Google Docs programs are online, they allow the user to save the files in a public domain so that anyone can see them. It also allows the user to open their file from anywhere there is an internet connection. The programs are very easy to use, and anyone who has ever used the Microsoft Office program list would be able to easily shift over to using Google Docs. The only downside is that all files, when saved online, can only be accessed online.

 The use of Google Docs for a classroom setting has two exciting possibilities. First, it can be used as a tool for students to peer edit each others’ files. Instead of having to do multiple handouts for peer editing workshops, all edits could be done online in a public folder. Students could then save their files back onto the public folder with all edits completed. This would help the school save paper, and it would also allow for time stamps on every document when it is saved back online. Another possibility is that students would no longer be able to use the excuse that they left their homework at home. If they were to save their files onto the Google server, they would be able to open their files from any location and would not be able to say that they couldn’t get their course work.

 With Webspiration, students can create outlines and webs in an online format. This tool would allow students to create detailed webs and outlines to help them complete their projects. Another great addition to the tool is the idea of collaboration; anyone can add to a project. Multiple students, then, all working together on a project could create a detailed and organized web or outline, all from their computer.

 While not all students use webs and outlines, those that do would most likely find Webspiration very interesting and helpful to use. They would be able to create detailed and elaborate web based outlines and webs so that they can track the progress of a piece of writing. Students that do not rely as much on webs and outlines when structuring and writing their papers might not like using this tool as much, but the ability to preplan papers with outlines and webs is a useful skill to have. Using Webspiration would give students the opportunity to practice and perfect these skills in a fun and creative way. With this tool, as well, no student would be able to lose their outline, as it would be saved for them online. Another great aspect of Webspiration is the collaboration tool. School projects, especially for high school students, can be very hard to work on when in a group. Finding the time and places to meet can sometimes be near impossible with different schedules and limited transportation. With tools like Webspiration, which can be accessed online for anywhere at any time, students would not have an excuse not to be able to get their group project completed. A meeting in the real world may only have to take place once, and most of the real work could be completed in the virtual world.

 Confusing Words is a web resource that allows students to look up words that they may confuse with others. Words such as “effect” and “affect”, which can at times be troublesome for students, are coupled on the web page and are clearly defined. There is a database of over 3000 words that are commonly mistaken for others; this database can be searched by anyone looking to clear up any misconceptions on the words they may be using incorrectly.

 Every student has difficulty with tricky words, and using a resource like Confusing Words can help a student to get the proper word usage they are looking for. For those who only mistake words every once in a while, it might not be a tool they use very frequently, but it would still be available to them in the event that they needed to access it to clear up any confusion they had regarding various words and their proper usage. A student who has continual problems mistaking words can be led to this site and allowed to explore it, looking at the different word combinations and finding the right word to use in the right situation. This can even be a useful exercise for those students who do not have a problem with misusing words and only want to strengthen their vocabulary.

 Mapskip is a way to add personal stories to maps in an online medium. People can add stories to the public maps, and those stories can then be shared and read by anyone looking at the Mapskip database. The tool is much like Google Earth, which allows for photos and information to be posted on different spots on the globe. Unlike Google Earth, though, this allows for users to write their own personal stories of their lives and post them onto the Mapskip website. The site allows for users to either search for a specific area or to browse the maps and see what information other people have added.

 A tool like Mapskip allows users to write their own life story and to do so using map form. A student could be given an assignment to chart out their life story using Mapskip, to find each location that has had meaning to them and to write a bit of information about that place and about themselves, or to expand on or react to any information that someone else has written about the place. If this were to be used in tandem with a site like Google Earth, students could get both the physical and emotional stories of a location. They could get the scenery and feel of a place from the maps of Google Earth and then get the personal side of a location from Mapskip.

 Using these five web 2.0 tools, a student can get a feel for how the tools of the web can be used to benefit their education. These tools offer learning, collaboration, and interactivity in a fun and exciting manner. Students no longer need to feel bored in their course work as different options arise for them to learn from and with. Students can now, more than ever, properly work with their peers to create projects, and can also explore and learn new ways of creating their works and displaying them for all to see. Web 2.0 tools offer a world of learning to all students, and they provide students with multiple opportunities to expand their knowledge base and utilize creative tools that are beneficial to their education.