Web+2.0

__**This is my essay on Web 2.0**__ **Web 2.0 **  Technology has evolved in numerous ways throughout the years. When I think of how technology has improved throughout the years I tend to think of devices such as the advance of CD’s to MP3 players or desktop computers to laptops. I never really thought about how the web has advanced to Web 2.0 and how people can communicate, create, and share subjects and ideas on the web. Web 2.0 offers more than just logging on to a website and learning about a subject, it is a tool for connecting people to a certain subject anywhere at any time. This is very useful for educators and students because teachers can create web pages that list class assignments, offer links to educational websites, and even keep communication lines open after class. Students can revisit lessons talked about in class or even review lessons they missed if they were out sick. Teachers can also provide links for students to practice on subject they’re struggling in at home and parents can also view what they’re learning in the classroom. Wherever there is access to the internet, students will have access to what they need for class.  On http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/, there are many tools listed to help teachers use technology in the classroom. Classtools.net is a free website where teachers can create their own games, quizzes, activities, or diagrams for free and post them on their own class website. The teacher simply goes to the website and picks what template they want to use, then they pick a name for the quiz and type in the questions and answers. The teacher can pick what type of game the students will use to answer the questions, or they can allow the students to pick from 5 different games themselves. Pageflip-flap.com is another free website that allows users to create their own flip flap book by uploading their own doc, pdf, word, and videos. Users are able to create a “turn the page booklet” that allows viewers to zoom, search, browse, and print. Pageflip-flap also has the capability of allowing users to share their final product on Facebook, Twitter, mail, or websites. Another cool website is Schoolwaxtv.com which is a free source for children to watch videos on countless topics. The videos are all educator approved videos that can be shared and uploaded for student use. There is a search tool to try to find a certain topic you’re looking for, and the website also has links to videos by age level (Elementary School, Middle School, and Secondary School). For assignments where students need to create charts, there is an online chart builder, chartgizmo.com, where students can create their own charts for free. These charts can be used on websites, blogs, and social networks. A very useful tool for educators is quizzegg.com which allows teachers to create quizzes for students and once the student finishes the quiz, the quiz is automatically graded. This is very helpful for teachers by freeing up their time and the website also provides detailed reports so the teacher can analyze the class. When I become a teacher I will use these tools in my classroom. I will use classtools.net for a fun way to introduce new subjects to students. I would create games with quiz questions on topics I haven’t covered in class to get the students engaged in the topic and allow them to think and analyze at their own pace. I think this is a great tool for students because all students love to play games and they love the challenge of trying to achieve a high score. By using this as a tool for introducing a new topic, it also alleviates some of the stress of worrying about what their peers think if they get the questions wrong. If the student gets an answer wrong, they are aware and can try to work on finding the right answer without the pressure of competing with their classmates. I plan on using pageflip-flap.com for group work for students to collaborate and compile their work together into a magazine style book. This would be a great tool for student to present what they worked on in the class. This will help students learn how to organize their work and present it in a way that flows and makes sense. I believe schoolwaxtv.com will be a great website to put on my class webpage for students to refer to at home, but I also think it is a great tool to use in the classroom. I want to plan a section of time for students to work on subjects they’re struggling in every day and I would assign them videos to watch. This would also be a good website for students to use to learn new topics as well. Chartgizmo.com would be a great tool for students to use for help with putting charts together. This will help them with presentations and demonstrating knowledge of studies they’ve conducted. To help them understand how to use the graph I would conduct a survey with the students (like how many kids like bike riding, roller skating, or skateboarding), then I would show them how to put the data together using chartgizmo so they can use it when they conduct their own surveys. Quizegg.com will probably be one of my favorite tools for myself because it will allow me to pass out quizzes without having to grade every paper myself. I plan on using this tool for quizzing students on subjects they haven’t learned yet in class, and then again after they’ve learned the topic. Quizzing the students before and after is helpful with Quizzegg.com because of the reports it lets you read. Over the years, I can see if different techniques in teaching the subject matter improves the student’s learning by keeping the reports from previous years.