Web+2.0

 Web 2.0 offers amazing tools that teachers can utilize to encourage more involvement in learning from students and parents. Coming from a background in English, and because of my desire to teach English in high school, the Web 2.0 tools that I have chosen to discuss offer the best possible opportunity’s for students to learn literature and English. The five tools that offer the most comprehensive learning opportunities for my teaching style are Prezi, Google Docs, PbWorks, Blogger, and BookRix. To begin, I will start with explaining Google Docs and outlining how I might utilize this tool. I will follow with Blogger because of the connections that can be made through Google Docs and BookRix because of the continued focus on reading and writing. Next will be PBWorks and last, I will discuss Prezi and its usefulness for my teaching styles and goals.

Google Docs is a tool that can be accessed through Gmail. It allows for a more comprehensive and inclusive way to edit and share documents with multiple people. One of the biggest problems for me has been the availability of Microsoft Word on my new computer. The hardware that is required to install Word is expensive and not easily accessible for a broke college student like me. Another plus is the compatibility of the program for all computers and not only those with Word. Since Google Docs can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection, there is no need for all this struggling with compatibility issues with different word processing applications. The way in which I would use this program would be through editing student papers. It has always seemed to me that the problem with writing papers for school is simply lack of time. It is helpful for teachers to allow for a more comprehensive editing process than the one rough draft and the final submission of the paper. This way I can keep in contact with the students and continue to edit and change papers until the final draft for the maximum grade possible.

Blogger is another writing and reading tool that can help the learning process. This tool can be accessed through a Gmail account as well, which is an easy mail service and opens up more opportunities for educational resources. Imagine a livejournal or facebook account with easy access to pictures and videos. In the classroom, blogging is useful as a connection between teachers and students, much like message boards are used on college campuses. To talk with other students and get more ideas on what the teacher is requiring is an important facet of education that is harder, in my experience, to use in high school settings. A blog in my classroom would focus on the topics of the day and will be used as a tool to further thought and discussion. Sometimes an hour and a half is not sufficient enough to discuss fully the issues and problems raised during class. This is also something that I would encourage students to use when reading assignments. If there is a problem or question students will be able to access the class blog and discuss their problems before class. This will allow for a more comprehensive way in which to learn the material. In addition, parents will be able to access the blog to see what the class is doing without having to pry it out of their children. This tool, when used correctly, can allow for more accountability and transparency for teachers and parents.

BookRix is an additional resource that I discovered through the wiki site on the assignment for Web 2.0 tools. As an avid reader of books and an advocate of literature classes, this free site was one of my favorite discovery’s as I researched for this assignment. I was especially drawn to the amount of books that can be viewed online for free. I am a traditionalist and prefer a hard copy of texts to the electronic versions that can be found on tools such as the IPad and Kindle. However, books are expensive and if there is a possibility for kids to access this source for free, I will not hold it against them. In particular, the prospect of writing your own book with this tool was intensely interesting to me. If I was to use this as a tool in my classroom, it would be as a portfolio project for the class final. Instead of a final exam, the students will need to write a book using one of the traditional literature genres; poetry, nonfiction, fiction, or drama and will need to finish it by the end of the class. The ability for the book to be viewed by the public will also allow for their work to be recognized and is a cool incentive for students. Creating something that people respond to is one of the best feelings out there, and focusing on this project for the final will be an activity that is both unique and rewarding. I am seriously considering using this tool as much as possible when I start teaching as I think it is one of the coolest things I have seen.

PBWorks is a system that allows for interactive learning and works much like a blog. For this tool, the application in my classroom would focus almost extensively on the students. I would set them up with the web page and will be the creator and administrator, as for the content, that will be up to the kids exclusively. This, I could see, might replace standard homework in my classroom. Each week the students would need to post or add something about the topic and respond to another student's post as well. The problem with this could be the amount of content that would be needed so I might end up using this as another option for the final project instead of the book.

Last is Prezi. This is a tool that would be used by me instead of power points. I am particularly drawn to the ability to zoom and manipulate pictures and images in real time. The amount of focus that can be drawn to specific concepts or ideas that are more important than others allows for the information to be processed more internally in the students. I would use this tool for teaching general themes and characteristics of literature, as well as to explain literature movements and background on authors and influences.

All of these tools can be useful in engaging students as well as parents in the educational system. The problem is knowing when, where and how using these tools are appropriate. Everything mentioned above is only the surface of what these tools are capable of and require much more research and thinking in order to use them properly in a classroom setting.

9/28/2010  //The various tools that I researched for this assignment opened doors for me that I have not considered before. These tools are valuable and a great resource that I can utilize for my future career. The option of publishing your own book online is a particularly fascinating area that I enjoyed learning about and I will most likely use this site as a possible resource for final projects, as an alternative to final p//apers.