Web+2.0

Web 2.0 assignment; we had to write a short essay about WEB 2.0. Web 2.0 is a huge database that kids and/or educators can use for all sorts of projects. I found this definition on my teacher's web 2.0 lecture. Tim O’Reilly, the creator of the name “Web 2.0” defined Web 2.0 as: “Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an “architecture of participation,” and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.” I think my essay turned out pretty well. There were so many links on the cooltoolsforschools website that it was hard to pick five and talk about.

Is Web 2.0 the Best Thing For Kids? I think things have become too easy for kids these days. Web 2.0 just adds to this next generation of children getting everything they want instantly. Now with Web 2.0 kids do not need to research on how to create a webpage, they can go to several different links that outlines it for them. I also want to make sure my students actually know the information, past being able to make a really interesting and interactive power point with quotes from the book on it. I would also worry about kids using these sites to as their only source of information. Teachers are now able to post their lessons online, I think educators need to be careful about this. If it is in the form of a podcast, or something to the same effect, where the student needs to listen to the whole lecture, that is one thing. I think if teacher just post a power point of their lecture online or an outline of the lecture, you might lose focus of your students in class.

At the same time, There are also several effective tools teachers and students can use via Web 2.0. It can help a teacher become more creative when making up assignments. Young kids have grown up with technology right at their finger tips and I think by combining Web 2.0 in your classroom will help keep students' attention. (If used properly) I still think it is important for students to physically walk into a library and find useful sources, but there was a research tool on http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Writing+Tools that could help students get started with their topics and the direction they want to go in. Another tool on the Cool Tool for Kids website was the writing tool tab. I want to be an English teacher and I think using different online aids will help students think in a more creative manner. I could assign a project using the image tool and kids could create a new book cover for the assigned book, or make an advertisement for the book.

The research tool had several different websites to use to assist in finding information. The different search engines ranged from dictionaries and encyclopedias to blogs, videos and documentaries. This would be an excellent source to give to middle or high school kids who are just starting to learn how to research a topic. The internet can be very hard to move around on and this site will help direct them to reliable resources. However, I think for teachers and students, it is easy to just really on the internet to give them all the information they may need. I want to make sure kids are still using actual texts and going to the library to find a couple more resources to write their papers.

Another tool I thought would be beneficial to use in the classroom is the writing tool. Again this tab had several different resources to use to help kids write and edit their papers. This is cool because if a student does not have someone at home to edit papers or if he/she does not want help from the teacher; the student can upload the paper onto inetword or something similar and have more then one person edit it. (with out the edits being permanent.) I think I might even require the student to use this tool at least once through out the year. It is not only good for students to see where they can improve, but I could up load one of my papers to show students that everyone can always find mistakes. I worked with a teacher last year who assigned a class book with her homeroom class. She and the students workshopped ideas to come up with the theme, then assigned students to write different parts of the story. After they compiled all the pages they added pictures. She had their book laminated and bound to appear like a real text. This assignment got several kids involved in the writing process. I saw some kids who normally never participated in school actually want to be a part of this. The writing tool will be a higher level way to write a class book. Since kids can access the website from any computer students are able to do their part of the book from home. I could also come up with a contest where the kid with the best consistent essays will have their essays for the year put into a book using one of the writing tools. They could even have pictures to go along with their writing. So if a kid might not be as good of a writer, they can still participate and do the illustrations.

The Collaborative tab seemed extremely effective as well. This would also be a tool to use for the assignments I have already mentioned or for other types of group projects. A couple sites within that tab were googledocs and inetword. Students can go online and share to document between each other. This way one person does not end up doing all of the work. There were also other tabs to share presentations. They could also use the presentation tool and it would be the same concept to share the document and everyone can participate. Equal participation in group projects is hard to come by, but if I assign that students have to use this website, then I can also watch the interactions and see who is not pulling their weight.

The video tool was also neat. Teachers could make assignments using this tool and ask students to create an advertisement or a book trailer for the current book the class was reading. A couple of the websites that seemed most beneficial for this would be Masher and Bubble Ply. Bubble Ply the student could record their voice or add captions to the video. With out these sites I think students would be far less enthusiastic if they only had markers and paper. To go along with the idea of making a book trailer or advertisement, we could use the drawing tool to make a new book cover. Websites like, Google Sketchup or Worditout, seemed to be useful when creating a new cover. They could also be used if you wanted to make a map of a theme in the novel, or map out a character in the book. Even if a student does not have a computer or internet at home, they can always use the schools computers or the public library. I still think the easy access of things like Web 2.0 is not helping the next generation of kids become hard workers; I will admit they are useful tools to have in education.