Introduction to Web 2.0 Tools

 Introduction to Web 2.0 Tools

Welcome to my blog! In this page, middle school teachers can learn about Web 2.0 tools and how they support literacy instruction in their content area classrooms. The prevalence of technology in today's classrooms has created a need for teachers to learn how to use digital tools to facilitate instruction and create opportunities for student collaboration and responses. This blog page focuses on three specific Web 2.0 tools that have been used in the field and examples of how they were used. The practice of using digital tools for instruction and response has endless opportunities for teachers. Once a digital tool is mastered by classroom teachers, they can design instruction that matches their needs and engages their students. This creates myriad opportunities for engagement.

References

DiBella, K. S.. & Williams, K. G. (2015). Beneficial web 2.0 tools to engage learners and maximize learning. Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 11(2), 75-81.

Bringing Web 2.0 Tools Into the Classroom

 

Instruction is enhanced by using technology to facilitate learning. Web 2.0 tools are commonly used to deliver instruction and provide opportunities student response to content. The benefits of integrating Web 2.0 tools is that students can collaborate on assignments and share artifacts in one space (Adcock & Bolick, 2011). An example of a collaborative Web 2.0 project was used in a Teacher Education Social Studies class that developed a variety of resources for classroom instruction over a semester. The students used Voicethread, a free Web 2.0 tool to share their semester long journal of their experience. This practice could be replicated in middle school content area classrooms by allowing students to add text, speech, images, and links to a shareable site in response to discipline content. This approach creates a more engaging instructional technique that allows students to use digital tools to develop assignments.

Strause & Wilson (2018) identify an approach to student expression through digital tools through the practice of blogging. An example of this type of Web 2.0 tool is through an assignment that allowed teacher education students to practice using a variety of technology tools while sharing their content knowledge and practical applications in their classrooms. The students used a variety of platforms to communicate their ideas. One student used an iPad app called Doodle Buddy to draw geometric shapes with a 5th grade math class. Another student blogged about the use of iFake Text to help students create dialogue. A third student shared the use of Drawzit with students to generate visual representations of their instructional content. Middle school teachers can use the same approach to creating opportunities for sharing information in their classroom. A classroom blog can also feature different digital tools that students select to use, based on their interests and preferences.

Another Web 2.0 tool that teachers can use to support instruction are wikis (Kurt, 2017). A wiki is a platform that can contain a variety of pages that are created and edited by individuals or groups of people. There are many benefits of using wikis, including building collaborative skills, refining writing skills, and building competence with digital tools. Wikis can facilitate research projects, peer feedback, student portfolios, and more. It is recommended that teachers prepare their students to collaborate in a wiki by explicitly teaching them to use it as a digital tool and provide structure to ensure it is used effectively.

References

Adcock, L., & Bolick, C. (2011). Web 2.0 tools and the evolving pedagogy of teacher education. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 11(2). https://citejournal.org/volume-11/issue-2-11/current-practice/web-2-0-tools-and-the-evolving-pedagogy-of-teacher-education

Kurt, S. (2017). Wikis in education: How Wikis are being used in the classroom. Educational Technology. https://educationaltechnology.net/wikis-in-education/

Strause, S. & Wilson, N. (2018). New Strategies for New Literacies: Digital Strategy

Backpack Samplers. Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, 7(1), Spring 2018, 1-24. doi:10.14434/jotlt.v7n1.23100