Web 2.0 Blog Post
Module 2 Blog Post – Meador_A
I certainly agree that teachers need to get in the game as far as technology is concerned. According to Richardson (2010), “ Our students’ realities in terms of the way they communicate and learn are very different from our own” (p.6). Students are adopting these new technologies at a blinding speed and our only hope of catching them is by jumping in ourselves. The children that can’t remember the world before the Internet have a fundamentally different mindset. The Internet is an extension of their selves and identities and perhaps we should seek the same reliance on it as a tool to reach these learners.
I am excited to get deeper into Twitter. Richardson (2010) states that Twitter “has also quietly become one of the most powerful tools for connecting and sharing the great content and professional development opportunities that are available to educators today” (p.11). There is such great potential there with ed chats and hashtags alone. Not to mention Twitter is also a pretty great search engine if used correctly. Also, I am looking forward to learning about authoring a Wiki. That will be something new to me. I have created plenty of webpages, but have yet to make a Wiki. I am definitely intrigued by that.
I have put some interesting Web 2.0 tools in play at my school. Warlick (2006) notes schools’ usage of social calendars. Similarly two years ago I created and now currently maintain a Google Calendar for my school. Most of my Web 2.0 projects have been behind the scenes and not impacted direct instruction. Another prime example of this is how I used the group text-messaging app, Groupme, to help my substitute coordinator be more efficient. I needed a way for my substitute coordinator to reach her substitute pool quickly and efficiently. I began to look into the problem and ultimately arrived at Groupme being the best solution. I then created a Google Voice account, a virtual phone number, and tied that account to the Groupme account. This gave my substitute coordinator the ability to mass text from a virtual phone number. The real magic, in my opinion, is connecting the Web 2.0 dots together. I tied a group text messaging app, Groupme, to a virtual phone number, Google Voice, and was able to very easily give my co-worker a powerful tool to help her better do her job. There is great possibility with Web 2.0 and even greater possibility when you make these resources work in tandem. Teachers are realizing that and are bringing Web 2.0 into their classrooms and it is engaging students more effectively than traditional means. My challenge is to find and bring the right Web 2.0 tools to my first graders. What tools do you think I should use in my classroom?
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oak, California: Corwin.
Warlick, D. (2006, January 1). A Day in the Life of Web 2.0. Technology & Learning Magazine.
I certainly agree that teachers need to get in the game as far as technology is concerned. According to Richardson (2010), “ Our students’ realities in terms of the way they communicate and learn are very different from our own” (p.6). Students are adopting these new technologies at a blinding speed and our only hope of catching them is by jumping in ourselves. The children that can’t remember the world before the Internet have a fundamentally different mindset. The Internet is an extension of their selves and identities and perhaps we should seek the same reliance on it as a tool to reach these learners.
I am excited to get deeper into Twitter. Richardson (2010) states that Twitter “has also quietly become one of the most powerful tools for connecting and sharing the great content and professional development opportunities that are available to educators today” (p.11). There is such great potential there with ed chats and hashtags alone. Not to mention Twitter is also a pretty great search engine if used correctly. Also, I am looking forward to learning about authoring a Wiki. That will be something new to me. I have created plenty of webpages, but have yet to make a Wiki. I am definitely intrigued by that.
I have put some interesting Web 2.0 tools in play at my school. Warlick (2006) notes schools’ usage of social calendars. Similarly two years ago I created and now currently maintain a Google Calendar for my school. Most of my Web 2.0 projects have been behind the scenes and not impacted direct instruction. Another prime example of this is how I used the group text-messaging app, Groupme, to help my substitute coordinator be more efficient. I needed a way for my substitute coordinator to reach her substitute pool quickly and efficiently. I began to look into the problem and ultimately arrived at Groupme being the best solution. I then created a Google Voice account, a virtual phone number, and tied that account to the Groupme account. This gave my substitute coordinator the ability to mass text from a virtual phone number. The real magic, in my opinion, is connecting the Web 2.0 dots together. I tied a group text messaging app, Groupme, to a virtual phone number, Google Voice, and was able to very easily give my co-worker a powerful tool to help her better do her job. There is great possibility with Web 2.0 and even greater possibility when you make these resources work in tandem. Teachers are realizing that and are bringing Web 2.0 into their classrooms and it is engaging students more effectively than traditional means. My challenge is to find and bring the right Web 2.0 tools to my first graders. What tools do you think I should use in my classroom?
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oak, California: Corwin.
Warlick, D. (2006, January 1). A Day in the Life of Web 2.0. Technology & Learning Magazine.