Web 2.0 Tools

1    A web 2.0 tool is a tool used by teachers to help the students do work and collaborate together through the web. The work that the students will be doing with web 2.0 tools is all online. The project they are making will be produced online and will be there for others to see and comment on as well. Some examples of these would be blogs or wikis that students make. These tools are done through online programs. They can be viewed by others and allow for collaboration and communication more than just doing something like a PowerPoint that is not online.

2      There are several advantages of web 2.0 tools. Some web 2.0 tools like search engines make it easier for children to find information. They will not have to look at books for hours and hours until they find the right information they were wanting for an assignment. They can simply just search what they wanted to find and many different things on the web concerning that topic will pop up. There are also fast responses that are present with web 2.0 tools. When students do forum posts they can have a conversation with their classmates. This allows easy and efficient communication within the classroom. Things like blogs and wikis also allow students to share information to one another. The information will always be there unless it is taken off of the internet, so students can refer to this as many times as they would like. Students can also use web 2.0 tools to enhance their projects and make them more interesting.

There are also several disadvantages of web 2.0 tools. With the search engines students may receive false information. There will also be information that may be too old for the use of their project. This is something that students will have to check for when using the internet to get information for school projects. Some of the web 2.0 tools may also be too enhanced for some students to use. Students may not have access to the web 2.0 tools outside of the classroom, so this may be a problem with the student getting their work done if they do not have much work time on it in class.

3    I think that students would prefer using these because they are much more interesting. Kids today are so use to using the internet and computers for everything they do. Technology is such a huge part of their life. If you have students constantly using the tradition methods in the classroom they are going to get bored. Students are so much more engaged and eager to learn when they are allowed to use computers and up to date technology. Using web 2.0 tools would make the students more involved in the classroom and I feel it would even get the reluctant learners involved in learning as well. It is something fun that all students will want to use.

Digital Tools in the Classroom

The five main pieces of digital technology I would want in my future classroom would be microphones, electronic whiteboards, headphones, mini laptops, and voice-activated devices. Microphones would be important in my classroom because it would allow the students to add their voice and thoughts to projects. I would have the students use microphones so they could practice presenting before getting in front of the class and doing it. The students will also be able to learn that they do not need to type everything out for a PowerPoint or other types of projects. They can simply put the main points, and then use the microphone to talk about what they want to say. Electronic whiteboards would be useful in many different ways. The allow teachers o draw and write on then. Teachers can show documents and worksheets from their computer, and project them on the whiteboard. I would use this in my classroom to do practice worksheets with the students. I could have the worksheet on the smart board, and then different students could come up and answer questions one at a time. Headphones would be useful in the classroom because the students could use these when they are on the computers. They could be playing educational games. This would allow them to not distract other students while they are working on their assignments. Headphones would help keep the student who is working on the computer engaged because the classroom noise would be blocked out. In my classroom I could also use headphones for students to listen to audible stories. This will once again block out the external noise, and make it easier for the student listening to the story to comprehend and understand. Mini laptops would help students in many areas of their schooling. They could play educational games, listen to educational songs, practice spelling words by typing them out, and so on.  All the students could be doing the same activity if they all had their own laptop, and each student would have equal access to them. Voice activated devices would be a great tool for students who have writing trouble. They can use this to do their homework. This will make it better for the teacher t read the writing and the student as well.

            I do not feel that five digital devises in the classroom is too many. Technology is a huge part of education in the world we live in today. I feel that there actually may be some schools or classrooms that have more than five digital devises. In many of the classrooms I have been placed in in my other classes, they have used all of these plus many other things to help the children earn in fun and creative ways. I feel that the more you can use and incorporate technology into the classroom, the more the students will be active and engaged in learning. Students love using technology. They find it fun and interesting. Using all of these devices will also help students wit disabilities learn because many forms of technology enhance the skills that they may lack or have trouble with.

Digital Generation

            I definitely would be part of the Digital Generation. I use my iPhone constantly. I love texting and talking on the phone. You will never see me without my phone in my hand or on my ear. I also have three different gaming systems. I have an Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3. I do not play them that often when school is going on, but I do play them when I can. I also use many different social medias. I have a Facebook, twitter, instagram, and pinterest. I use many of these daily. When I am not using my phone to text or talk to someone, I am on a social media network. I love using the Internet, and honestly I do not know how I would live without it. It is so helpful, especially with being a college student.

            I think these portraits compare to life around me in everyway. Many of my friends are gamers just like many of these children. This is something they do on a daily basis. I myself also enjoy gaming. It is a way to entertain you. It is a world you can escape into. I also believe that many of the students I know and will have someday in my class will be gamers. This trend is huge and I see it only increasing in the years to come. Everyone I know is on social media. This ranges from many ages. I first signed up for Facebook when I was a freshman in high school. Kids today usually do not wait that long. I know students that I have worked with that are in the fifth grade who talk about having a Facebook. This is something that is not uncommon in today’s society. I may not agree with this, but that is how it is. Some of my peers are bloggers like the kids in the portraits. This is something that I do not find as common as people being on a social network or being a gamer, but it still happens. I also think that with the increase of technology this will be something that more and more people do. All of the children in these portraits use technology on a daily basis. This is how I am, my peers are, and kids from K-12 are as well.

            I have always viewed technology as a great thing in education. I still believe this. With the way that technology is rapidly increasing, I think it is important to incorporate it into the 21^st century classroom. In many of the schools I have been placed in throughout college, the students have their own iPad. On these they pay games that are educational. They can play these games when they have free time. This allows the children to be learning and practicing skills throughout the whole entire day. They also have fun while learning with this method. Children love using technology. It is something they have grown up with. They watch people around them use technology everyday. They become curious and intrigued. I feel that when you use different forms of technology while teaching the children will be more willing to learn and listen because it is something they believe is fun and interesting.

            When I think of 21^st century learning tools, I think of ways to use technology to help students learn. I would consider the iPad with the educational games to be an example of this. The teacher may record the student while they are presenting a project. They could then have a conference using the video and talking about what worked and what didn’t. The students may use wiki and/or blogs in their classroom to present a presentation. These are all ways that 21^st century learning tools can be implemented in the classroom.