Web 2.0 Tools for Educators

Katherine Nash – Twitter and Edmodo

First, I use Twitter in my classroom on a daily basis. I have found it very useful. I teach English III in a high school setting, so my students for the most part already have Twitter accounts and just need to follow me. I use it for daily announcements, but more importantly for group collaboration and peer editing. In my AP class, we write multiple essays, so working on thesis statements or other problem areas is something we do regularly. My students post their questions, thesis statements, problem sentences, etc, and their peers edit. I only step in after at least two people have commented on their posts. This allows my students to take ownership. That is just one example of how I have used this. I also set up distinct parameters for my students about what is appropriate for my class Twitter page, and I have a three strikes rule. If students are inappropriate more than three times, then he/she is no longer a member of my page; therefore; their grades suffer. Parents and students are aware of my policies, and I have only had one student removed from my page. As a principal, I would recommend this tool with words of caution.

Secondly, Edmodo is another great Web 2.0 tool to use in a classroom setting. It is like Facebook, but with stricter guidelines. I use this site similarly to Twitter, but more as a discussion board in connection with non-fiction articles or as a place where students analyze and collaborate on novels that we are reading as outside reading assignments. I also use the calendar and upload assignments for absent students. My students are constantly on Edmodo collaborating on assignments, and it gives me a place for immediate feedback. I would definitely recommend this to my staff if I were a principal.

William Lee Littles - Edublogs and Wikispaces

There are many collaborative electronic tools which educators can use to stimulate and enhance lessons for their students; and to foster more collegial and collaborative planning among educators. With the emphasis on creating lessons that are more engaging and challenging in an effort to improve college and career readiness skills of students, web 2.0 tools will be instrumental in achieving this end. Today’s educators are charged with developing lessons and assignments which address the 5 E’s of educational instruction, the 5 E’s being engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation; and developing lessons which will reach the Bloom’s Taxonomy higher order thinking skills. In doing so, educators have to be mindful we are educating the millennial students, students who were born in the period of time between 1980 and 2001. These students are totally engrossed in digital and computer based technologies, and this trend is only going to increase in the future; therefore, we cannot continue to use 20^th century methods to train and instruct students in the 21^st century and beyond. Teachers and administrators must attend professional development workshops and seminars to address digital and electronic instructional methods, and educators must research changes in technology almost daily to stay ahead of the knowledge and learning curve. Here is a very good link to research some of these web 2.0 tools to effectuate instructional strategies and methods:  http://www.goedonline.com/101-web-tools-for-teachers.Of all the web 2.0 tools I had the privilege of studying, I will report on Edublogs and Wikispaces.

Edublogs is a site where teachers can create and manage their own teacher blog as well as student blogs. You can customize designs and include videos, images and podcasts in an Edublog. Best of all, it’s safe and secure. Edublogs are used by educators to archive and support teacher and student learning by facilitating reflection, questioning by self and others, collaboration, and providing contexts for participating in higher - order thinking. Many teachers, after they have studied Edublogs themselves, will introduce Edublogs to their students, sharing ideas to meet the diverse needs of all learners in the classroom. Teachers can also communicate with other educational professionals to communicate any issues they may be having in the classroom; most times the issues involve classroom management techniques and policies. When this is done, the Edublog can serve as a professional learning community for teachers, acting as a support system where teachers access ideas, tools, and garner recognition from other educators. As far a student instruction in Edublogs, these blogs can be used as instructional resources where teachers can post tips, explanations, Power point presentations, and sample lessons to enhance student learning and retention.

The more common collaborative web 2.0 tool involves wikispaces. Wikispaces are very prominent and commonly used by educators and educational support personnel, being used in the elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels of education. Wikispaces is a free web hosting service (sometimes called wiki farms), and is the largest wiki hosts; competing with PBworks, Wetpaint, Wikia, and Google Sites. Wikispaces allow students and teachers to change or delete content. Especially for teachers, wikis can be used to provide students with class notes, syllabus, and class outlines. Also, a wiki will enable multiple authors, mainly teachers and students, to collaboratively build a website; share their thoughts and questions concerning a lesson; and work together on projects. Wikis also allow teachers to send invitation to students to become part of the wikispace website.

With more emphasis being placed closing the digital divide among all learners, web 2.0 tools will be essential in any educational improvement plan to enhance and increase student achievement.

Stay tuned: Josh Nowlin will tell us of the benefits of using Prezi and Taxedo.