Unit 6 - Post 1
Web 2.0 tools have really revolutionized the classroom. The internet did not even exist when I was in school, and if we got on a computer it used a 3 1/2 inches floppy disk. I learned to type on a Brother electric typewriter. However, now Web 2.0 tools are so common in classrooms. My school uses many of the tools that were mentioned in the chapter. All of the Google applications are frequently used. Teachers have students submit assignments through Google classroom, or simply share a document with them through Google docs. Students also collaborate on assignments using these tools. I am still getting comfortable with using Google Docs because I am so used to Microsoft Word, but I am starting to enjoy the benefits that Google Docs offers. PowerPoint is also becoming obsolete and replaced by Google Slides. Even though the students use mostly Chromebooks now and they don't really have access to programs such as PowerPoint, they automatically go to Google applications even when they have a choice. What’s great about the Web 2.0 features is that the learning can extend beyond the classroom.
Here are some links for teachers about educational Web 2.0 resources:
http://web2014.discoveryeducation.com
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com
We do not use blogs in any of my classes, but I know some teachers who are using them with great success and have spoken about them at staff development days. They see blogs as a valuable tool because the students can write in a more authentic way. I tried to use them years ago in one of my classes, but I did not have a great deal of success. But i think that was just the particular class that I was working with at that time. But blogs really do have a lot of educational benefits.
Wikis are also great tools, but Wikipedia itself has caused so many problems in my classes. No matter how many times we tell the students that Wikipedia is not an appropriate resource for research because anyone can add to it, they still go right to it. Just in the past week, we had students submit research assignments with Wikipedia cited in the Works Cited page. It frustrates many teachers and we aren't quite sure why the students continue to go directly to Wikipedia and think it is acceptable to use.
These websites explain more about the problems with Wikipedia:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/18/wikipedia_quality_problem/ .
https://xkcd.com/214/
