Web+2.0

Edward Nance  Instructional Development  Hsin-Te Yeh

 Web 2.0  The way the web has evolved has been beneficial to the world as a whole. The technology put into the web has grown to lengths that simply blow the mind. People all over the globe have found that without the access we have on the web we simply cannot live. These days, the web has given businesses a chance to evolve at a fast rate, the media to communicate to the people like never before, and gave teachers a more interactive style of teaching. In the world of education, especially elementary education, one of the hardest things for a teacher to accomplish is keeping the attention of their students. As a future elementary school educator, it has been brought to my attention that in these times teachers are finding new interactive and creative ways to teach their students.  The first innovative way of teaching that was brought to my attention was using video in the classroom. Using a video is very helpful in teaching because I feel this will help with keeping the attention of a student. In the case of elementary education, a teacher can use a video that is relevant to the lesson being taught with a familiar face that the children would recognize. If it is a familiar face such as a famous cartoon character or actor, the students tend to find a connection with them thus engaging them more with the lesson. With higher education, a video is relevant in similar ways. Rather than watching an instructor lecture for an hour and a half, adding another element such as video can keep an older student on their feet by using another tool to educate them.  The next tool I would use in the classroom is research. I would incorporate this in the classroom by giving the student several creative options they can do as a part of the research, as opposed to just typing a paper. An example of this would be creating a video, slideshow, or even a poster. I feel that making the research an enjoyable experience would not only make the work quality, but will also get them more engaged in the topic at hand. In today’s web, access a student will be able to explore things on the web like never before. For example, if I were to assign a student a topic such as Christopher Columbus, they will be able to find several visual and audio devices that will make them more engaged with the topic and interested in the learning process.  In today’s United States, we are living in an I-Pod age. People around the globe are downloading music by the millions each day. Teachers these days should attempt to capitalize on this huge music push by incorporating music into their lesson plan. The one thing I would try to do is play some music at the beginning of the class in order to create a comfortable atmosphere for the students. By playing something, they would recognize, asking them about the song, and gaining some sort of connection with the students there would be some sense of comfort in the classroom. I also would encourage the student to bring in some of their own material. This would show the student that I am interested in learning about them more. This ultimately would give them a sense that they are more than just a student to me, they are also human beings I am interested in learning more about. Finally, I would want the students to explore some talents they may have in music. As said in the above, I want the student to enjoy the learning process. I would suggest writing musical lyrics about a specific lesson for purpose of encouraging creativity.  The fourth tool that would be useful for an educator would be assigning presentations. I would do this by encouraging students to take advantage of some of the web 2.0 sites. For example, I would encourage them to explore the internet and use web sites such as YouTube and Google sites for being creative in their presentations. Pages such as Google sites will give the student an opportunity to create their own pages as well as view others. This ultimately would be a positive assignment to give because in todays fast pace business world, having the ability to create a web page would be a valuable asset to have in that field. Having an understanding on how to use web 2.0 pages such as Google sites will also enable the student to create presentations that are technological, and current with the types of amazing things one can do on the web.  Finally, several web 2.0 web sites give a teacher a new way to administer their tests and quizzes. Using several web sites such as hot potatoes can give an educator the chance to give tests that are more interactive and fun for students. They offer tests such as jumbled words and crossword puzzles. These fun interactive types’ of tests make taking them less intimidating. These days’ students do suffer from test anxiety, and once that anxiety is taken away, a teacher can get readings that are more accurate on how a student is doing in a particular subject.  It is quite clear that the new age of web technology is here. Technology is advancing all the time in order to make life easier, and the same is true with education. If educators do not take advantage of all of these advances, they could be missing another great tool to help in a childs education.